Grace...

                In Galatians Paul emphasizes – The Grace of God. The writer of this book (Paul), is stressing the importance on the fact that we (as believers) are to approach God through grace, not through the Law. Many believers still tend to approach God by doing what is right and obeying the "rules" of Christianity. This is "legalism". In Galatians we are taught that we approach God through grace – which is God's power working in us causing us to want to obey Him, and enabling us to obey Him. Legalism teaches that we obey God out of obligation. Legalism compels us to act right and do right by our own power; a set of rules, of what we must do and what we mustn't do. But this is nothing less than "works of the flesh", Galatians teaches us that grace enables us to "be right" by the power of the Holy Spirit."

 

                In my journey with Christ, He taught me that our Father desires for us to "BE" before we can "DO". It's only when we ask Him to "be" with us in every situation that we will be able to "do" what is pleasing to God. Without the Holy Spirit enabling us and helping us we are simply left to live the best we can in our own strength.

           In the first chapter of Galatians Paul is telling them (verse 6) how he is astonished and surprised how quickly they were deserting Christ Who invited them and called them by the "Grace" of Christ. Paul was bold enough to tell them that they were perverting and distorting the true Gospel of Christ and making it into something that it was absolutely not (verse 7). Then in verse 8 Paul declares that even if an angel from heaven should preach another gospel contrary from what he had preached to them "let then be accursed!" Paul emphasizes this again in verse 9.     

 

        Believers often associate these verses as a warning to cults; which it can be used for. But actually Paul was speaking to believers that were trying to combine the Gospel of Christ with the Law of Judaism. They were insisting that believers in Christ must keep the law if they expected to be perfect and pleasing to God. 

 

                 This is Legalism. And Paul stood for the true Gospel of Christ which brings freedom into the believer's life, not the burden of rules or regulations. In verse 10 and 11, he explains that he isn't trying to win the favor of men, nor is he concerned about pleasing men or being popular with people. That the Gospel is not man's gospel, it is not a human invention patterned after any human standard. What Paul is saying is that he doesn't look for any man's approval that no one can be a "God-pleaser" and a "people-pleaser" at the same time. 

 

                If you are living by Grace through faith then you will be pleasing to God. And if you are pleasing God, then you will be living in a way that for the most part will please your fellow man. I say for the most part because when we truly are living a life that is pleasing to God, there will be times that we'll be hated and despised by our fellow man. But their hatred will be because of what we stand for, not because of our behavior. 

 

                 God taught me that I needed to "trust" Him through the Holy Spirit to guide and direct other people's lives. It wasn't for me to set the standard in their lives; the only time I was to say anything would be for "Truth" (God's Truth) and "Right" (God's Righteousness). Which is far different then a list of do's and don'ts!